Property of the Mafia

[30] Songbird

Both Alyssa and I froze on the spot, absolutely bewildered and completely defenceless.

"Y-You... who are you exactly?" I demanded, my voice shaking.

He smiled briefly before he leaned against the door frame, raising his eyebrows.

"No one special. Just someone who was paid to keep an eye on you, Miss. Cyan." He chuckled, suddenly lurching forwards as Alyssa and I leapt out of the way, narrowly evading the powerful momentum of his body lunging forward. In some twisted sort of way, I felt like I was being cornered into the room, coerced by his every movement.

"Keep an eye on me? By who?" I spat, my knees stinging from the fall as I scrambled back onto my feet.

"By who? C'mon, you're not that stupid." He raised his eyebrows, folding his arms across his chest as he mockingly waved the gun in the air. "Do I look like your companion?"

"Not exactly." Alyssa responded for me, cursing a few times under her breath before she stood up. "But we asked you a f*cking question. Now answer, would you?"

"Whoa there, tiger. Okay, okay, I guess I can play along with your little distracting game for a while." He shrugged, placing his gun back into the holster on his belt. I exchanged suspicious glances with Alyssa. He was just going to back off like that so easily?

"A-Alright. So your name and purpose here." I demanded, trying to stay firm as I scanned our surroundings conspicuously. Did he have allies? Was someone else watching us?

"So feisty." He chortled, cracking his knuckles. "Nerei. Just call me Rei, though. Just your everyday tracker. No big deal."

"Tracker? You mean you're here to just watch us?" Alyssa gasped, both angry and astonished. "Like some kind of deranged babysitter with a gun?"

"Yeah. And to give you a warning or two if you're standing a little too close to the edge, if you know what I mean." He responded, acting completely mellow and laid-back as he laughed again. His eyes suddenly met mine.

"Now. Back to the good stuff. Miss. Cyan, dearest, why don't you head back to the gun before I ask a little more forcefully? Hmm?" He asked, almost as though asking an old friend for a favour.

"My contractor wants you to see a couple of things so we can finally get a lead with this whole Tresora business, you know. You couldn't have forgotten, could you? It's the only reason why you're still alive now, anyways." He shrugged, cracking his shoulders. I glared at him, folding my arms across my chest.

"Oh? And what if she decides to say no?" Alyssa asked tauntingly, still standing her ground. Though he was a full two heads taller than her, like a cat raising all its fur on end, she seemed to stand equal ground. A small laugh ripped from his lips before he suddenly wrapped his arms around both of our shoulders respectively, grinning from ear to ear at both of us.

"Not exactly an option, toots. Now lets get back to the van, okay? And Miss. Celandine, if you don't mind, you can either leave or come with us, hmm?" He asked, his grip on my shoulders almost crushing. I could hear Alyssa's shoulder bones grinding which made my heart shudder.

"Fine." I retorted, my eyes full of rage as I peered into his. "I'm going."

Alyssa and I exchanged glances.

"And so am I." She proclaimed.

---

Not soon after were we both dragged to the van like bloody carcasses and propped into the back. And though I tried to stay completely aware of my surroundings, I couldn't cease to zone out once in a while due to the repetitive movement of the van rocking back and forth. In a way, it was almost comforting like a baby's cradle.